Emotional Intelligence: The New Non-Negotiable for Top Executives

Ever since the publication of Daniel Goleman’s first book on the topic in 1995, emotional intelligence (EQ) has become a buzzword in the business world.  Shortly after Goleman’s book was released, the Harvard Business Review published an article on the topic that attracted a higher percentage of readers than any other article published in that periodical 40 years prior. In fact, the CEO of Johnson & Johnson read the HBR article and had 400 copies of Goleman’s book sent to his top executives.

If you are identifying your leadership team, think of yourself as a leader or want to become one, keep reading to understand why EQ is becoming a non-negotiable.

Even though the research has been around for years, you still may be confused as to what EQ really means and why it is becoming utilized more than ever before when identifying and developing leaders, engaging teams, in coaching and succession planning.   The short answer….it measures human potential.  Research continues to mount showing people who possess higher levels of EQ are more successful and assured leaders.

An EQ assessment accurately measures one’s ability to sense, understand and effectively apply the power of one’s overall emotional well being to facilitate high levels of collaboration and productivity.    The keywords here are collaboration and productivity.  It was designed to provide insight into two broad areas: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal emotional intelligence.   It can help you understand one’s ability to manage feelings and handle stress both of which have been identified as important characteristics for success.

An Emotional Intelligence Assessment measures 5 Dimensions:
Self-awareness
Self-regulation
Social skills
Motivation
Empathy

EQ has as much to do with knowing when and how to express emotion as it does with controlling it.  Empathy is a particularly important aspect and researchers have known for years that it contributes to occupational success.  A person’s ability to perceive, identify, and manage emotion provides the basis for the kinds of social and emotional competencies that are important for success in almost any job.

So, why is there more awareness and emphasis on EQ today?  Workplaces are making greater demands on a person’s cognitive, emotional, and physical resources. Companies are demanding increased performance and higher profits as they continue to scale up. The research shows high EQ has a direct correlation to both.  Companies are paying attention and realizing that if they want to remain a leader in their market they have to have leaders who can collaborate, empower and motivate!  

EQ skills are considered soft skills and until recently they have been widely overlooked.  They are being more widely used today because leaders lead people and people accelerate growth in a business.  If leaders are not able to understand or control their own emotions, or relate to emotions of their team members, then they cannot reach their full potential and therefore the business will not reach its full potential.

Sheri Winesett is a strategy expert, team alignment facilitator and leadership coach for Stone Mountain Advisers.  She works with leaders to increase their performance resulting in more profit.